Chattanooga Lookouts Season Overview

The Chattanooga Lookouts, are looking to improve on the outcomes of that season by taking the playoffs by storm. Their roster is stronger than last year, and they have more power coming out of the bullpen, giving them hopes of winning the entire thing this year. Last year, they won the first half of the season, giving them a playoff berth, but then played lackluster for the second half of the season, getting beat in the playoffs by the Huntsville Stars in three straight games.

Prospects

For this year, they have their eyes set on the title and will not stop until they are drinking champagne in their locker room. Their hopes are high, powered by the bat of Joey Votto and the outstanding second year pitching arm of Homer Bailey. Right now, it seems that nothing can stand in their way. It is yet to be seen whether they will hold on to this fervor throughout the season or lose steam as the season progresses.

This year also marks the first season in their ballbark after it was named AT&T Field earlier this year. So to mark the occasion, they redesigned the logo and held an unveiling ceremony. The community was thrilled to have the sponsorship of AT&T, who they equate to be a fantastic sponsor of the baseball community, having five sports naming rights venues. Also this year marks the first year the Lookouts will be rewarding promoters with tickets, certificates for free food, or other prizes. The first of these promotions is the Marquee Madness promotion, where each promoter will receive four tickets and four free food coupons for putting a promotional message about the Lookouts on their business or church sign. Other promotions will be held throughout the year.

Player Spotlights

One other player that is sure to be a big success is Homer Bailey, the young right hander that just started with the Lookouts last season. His 7-1 record and 1.59 ERA were enough to get him chosen for the Futures Game for the USA team, where he picked up a win. He will almost certainly improve on those already stellar statistics and lead the Chattanooga Lookouts to another playoff berth this year.

Another big name on the Lookout team is Joey Votto. He is one of the best bats in the Southern league and has made tremendous waves with his skills. He was picked by the Cincinnati Reds as the Minor League Player of the Year, and was on top of the league in seven categories, and won the 2006 MVP award. He is one of the up and coming players in the Reds organization and should be watched very closely this season.

Noochie Varner promises to be one of the big names in the Southern League this year, after making it to the Final Four of the "Minor Moniker Madness." He batted .285 last season and had a .430 slugging percentage, but his real popularity comes from his excellent fielding.